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True words are not always pretty; pretty words are not always true.

Japanese Proverb

Transition

Poplar, both kinds, have no shade tolerance. So when the grand old poplars drop, they leave a hole in the forest. The shade may be too dense for poplar, but it's just what the young spruce seedling needs.

Spruce needs protection to get started. As a young tree, its roots don't go deep enough to pick up enough water to keep it alive in full sun. As the poplar trees mature and die out, more and more spruces come in.

I have a couple patches in transition. In one such patch, I have a wild clematis. They have increased over the years. Last summer we had eleven of them.

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Sherwood's Forests is located about 75 km southwest of Edmonton, Alberta. Please refer to the map on our Contact page for directions.